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Thursday, 21 October 2010

Capsule Winter Wardrobe

Deborah asks Glamrosie via Facebook;Sorry for all the questions! I've got hundreds, you'll want to start charging me soon! What items do you think are the basics for any wardrobe? I've recently lost weight so have nothing that fits anymore, I'm restocking my wardrobe and need to know where to start................

Glamrosie;1. Underwear - the staple to any outfit, make sure you are measured regularly and have some great sets of underwear. If your weight has changed, this is especially important.2. Layers - a collection of vests (M&S can't be beaten!) and long sleeve t-shirts, high or low neck depending on cleavage size. Make it easy for yourself to start with. Think of 2 colour pallets; blacks, greys, whites, and then browns, nudes and creams. If you always have some of these in your draw you can dress them up with cardys, necklaces or wear as a basic under other items.3. Jeans - a smart navy pair for going out and a lighter pair for day wear. Every wardrobe needs jeans! It can take a while to find the right pair for you, there is so much choice out there. My favourites are Topshop's Baxter style, skinny but not as tight as their Jamie style. Levi's have recently launched 'Curve ID' to find the perfect pair for your body shape. Have a look at their website; if you have an idea of your shape and measurements, it can recommend for you straight away. There are even images of women in the different cuts they offer to give you something visual to help.4. Cardys/Jumpers - just watch the content. I love cashmere but will only invest in a good quality piece. Avoid 100% acrylic! There are plenty of wool cardigans about. I bought a beautiful basic style in a rich raspberry colour from Costco of all places! £15! This is where you can add some colour to your basic layers with cardys. Again, think of your 2 colour pallets to get your capsule wardrobe started. You can always add accessories to brighten or update any basics.5. Shoes - a good black court, a must! I am loving suede courts right now, Dune have a fab selection. Boots; a heeled pair to wear with dresses or over jeans (think knee-high or trend of the moment, ankle shoe boots!) and a flat day pair - Ugg my number 1 day choice!6. Dress - a basic tunic style that can be dressed up with heels, tights & jewellery or down with flat boots, leggings and a cardy. Try H&M, they have a great selection of dresses. 7. 'Going-out-top' - something to wear with jeans and heels for an emergency outfit. Look at the image above, something like this never dates, looks great with jeans (or even skirts), add a cute clutch, a cardy if you want to dress down and off you go!8. Handbags - a black clutch and a two day bags; across the body for casual shopping trips/day outs, and a larger handbag for work. 9. Jewellery - some big statement earrings, a necklace and bracelet. Say you want to jazz up a scoop neck t-shirt with jeans and heels, add jewellery and this does the job. Try not to wear more than 1 large statement piece of jewellery at a time, it over complicates an outfit. If you have short sleeves, think bracelet, high neckline think earrings, scoop neck think necklace (or leave bare and just do earrings if fussy neckline).10. Winter coat and a blazer - blazer is another staple that can really make a difference, especially to how you feel and hold yourself. I recently converted my sister who always thought that they were just for the office. Found her a different material to her tailored work suits and she loved it! Said it made her feel so much more confident. You can add a scarf for warmth if you need, this isn't an everyday coat, you will know when it's needed! Winter coat - just look at which length would suit you best and invest! A coat can take you through the whole season and many more to come if you pick wisely.

2 comments:

Thanks for the blog- I'm slowly starting to create my new wardrobe! Struggling with accessories though, I always seem to stick to plain and boring! I see other people in nice big bold jewellery but always think it'll never suit me- need to be braver!!

Yes, be brave! Primark are great for cheap statement pieces so grab a few you like, and just give them a go! You won't be wasting much money (could probably sell on for about the same amount at a car boot....) It's also probably because your not used to seeing yourself in something different, you just need to re-train your eye!

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Bargain Buy

I love this simple crew cashmere top, £49.90 down to £29.90. A great transition piece ready for Spring with the shorter sleeves. Comes in lots of colours (including a gorgeous marl grey)

Personal stylist and blogger. Mummy to two lovely (most of the time...) little ladies. You won't find a daily outfit post on here, some days are just not worth documenting! I will however share any great stylish finds as I love to shop and am rather partial to a bargain.